Travel

[bargainsgirl]

Planning a trip next spring.  What would be the best sites to see in each country?  Planning a 10-14 day trip.

Also thinking of a side trip to Paris or Amsterdam.

[haddon9]

I just came back from a trip to Ireland with extended family last week.  There were 12 of us and we went with a tour company called "My Ireland Tour".  It's privately run by a family since the 1980s.  Our driver/guide was wonderful and the tour director was very accommodating in planning our our trip.

We did a lot of the usual typical touristy things....we visited Trinity College & Guiness in Dublin, went to the Cliffs of Moher (very impressive but a lot of tourists), drove around the Ring of Kerry (highly recommended!...very beautiful!), saw a show with Irish musicians & step dancers in a pub, went to Blarney Castle (some of us decided to skip the Blarney Stone and go shopping in Blarney Woolen Mills instead).

One of the highlights for us was spending a few nights at Ballynahinch Castle.  The accommodations were superb and the castle is set on a 700 acre estate with lots of outdoor activities.

Have fun planning your trip!

[World Traveler]

@bargainsgirl You received some pretty good tips back in June when you were asking about England, Ireland, and Amsterdam. Did you get a chance to read all the posts?

[jackthebear]

there must be lots of tourist websites and books to read about this  

[World Traveler]

@bargainsgirl Here are the responses you got the last time you inquired about your upcoming trip. Some good tips were given. 

https://community.qvc.com/t5/Travel/England-Ireland-Amsterdam/td-p/4719597

[dawg lover]

Last summer, we flew into Paris because it was more economical, and stayed a few days, seeing the sights.  I would recommend staying at the Novotel Hotel near the Louvre.  There is a beautiful vertical shopping mall next to it, with anything you could need.  You can pick up the green Hop On/Hop Off bus by the Louvre.  Then, we took the Eurostar train from the Gare Du Nord station to London, arriving at the St. Pancras station.  The Eurostar train is fantastic; clean, comfortable, fast - we were there in 2 1/2 hours.  I love how you can walk around on the train and aren't confined to your seat, like a plane.  I think that the Eurostar now runs to Amsterdam too; you'll have to check into that.  I would recommend the Premier Inn King's Cross on York Way.  It is just a few blocks from both the St. Pancras Eurostar station and the Kings Cross tube station - no need for a taxi.  Very nice mid-grade hotel, was freshly remodeled 2 years ago, great coffee shop in the lobby and a nicer restaurant too, and a small grocery store, Tesco, just a few blocks away.  You can also make arrangements for laundry service at the front desk - not cheap, but necessary for a long trip.  Kings Cross is a major tube station, and you can access all the sights right from the subway and avoid the London traffic.  Paris was beautiful, but we just loved London.  Never been to Ireland, so I can't help you with that.

[Bridgegal]

I'm going to be honest here.   Ireland, England AND Amsterdam in 10-14 doesn't do any of them justice.   Your trip will be a 'if it's Tuesday, it must be Belgium' trip.

I suggest for 10-14 just seeing England.   London, Bath, York , for example is plenty for 10-14 days.  Well, really that is too much.   You can easily spend 10 days seeing London and it's outskirts alone.

Now, if you are planning on a cities tour not countries tour, you can cram London , Dublin and Amsterdam in a 10-14 time frame but you'll only have time to see a few highlights in each.